AD LDS Getting Started Step-by-Step Guide

Updated: September 7, 2007

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

Active Directory® Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS), formerly known as Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM), is a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory service that provides data storage and retrieval support for directory-enabled applications, without the dependencies that are required for the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). You can run multiple instances of AD LDS concurrently on a single computer, with an independently managed schema for each AD LDS instance.

If you install security update 951746 on your Windows Server 2008 R2–based and Windows Server 2008–based computers, the Domain Name System (DNS) server’s method of port allocation changes, and this change might prevent AD LDS from obtaining the port that it requires to function correctly. For more information, see article 959215 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=157712).

This guide describes the processes for setting up AD LDS and getting it running. You can use the procedures in this guide to install AD LDS on servers that are running the Windows Server® 2008 operating system in a small test lab environment.

As you complete the steps in this guide, you will be able to:

Install the AD LDS server role and practice working with AD LDS instances.

The following sections provide step-by-step instructions for setting up AD LDS. These sections provide both graphical user interface (GUI) and command-line methods for backing up and restoring AD LDS, where applicable.